Energy is around us in many different forms. In the electrical industry, we think of gravity, magnetism, hydropower, thermal power, chemical energy and so on. In physics, energy is the quantitative property that must be transferred to an object in order to perform work on, or to heat the object. Stored energy allows us to defer that moment, and so control our world.
The Significance of Stored Energy in Fire Pots
Early humans discovered how to release heat from carbon stored in wood 1.9 million years ago or thereabouts. This provided them with fires to stay warm at night, keep predators at bay, and purposefully cook meat to preserve it.
However, they had to start a fresh fire for every event, limiting fire’s usefulness. Then about ten thousand years ago, humans began carrying slow-burning fires in clay fire pots to seed new fires quickly and effectively. This portable thermal energy also helped keep them warm at night throughout the winter. Hence, having stored energy in fire pots was vital to the development of our civilization.
How Batteries Revolutionized Modern Society
The earliest electrical machines produced magnetism and sparks through mechanical means. However, the effect was transient and not much practical use outside a magician’s studio. Then in 1800, Alessandro Volta invented the first chemical battery.
For the first time ever, the Italian physicist had portable, stored energy he could carry around and demonstrate to his colleagues. This in turn enabled early electric cars, portable radios, and flashlights. Nowadays batteries power machines exploring the planets and the asteroids. Moreover, you could not be reading my words without a battery somewhere in your device.
Stored energy revolutionizes the lives of people with pacemakers, and helps deaf people hear clearly again. It has opened up a world where we can speak to anyone, almost anywhere in an instant. And to think this all began with a creative genius who created the first fire pot. Of small seeds do mighty trees grow!
Related
Alessandro Volta: Father of Modern Battery
The First (Model) Electric Car: Anyos Jedlik 1828
Preview Image: Bushman Starting a Fire in Namibia
